Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Salesianum and Hodgson engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel when the teams met in state baseball tournament quarterfinal action on May 31, but the Sals’ bats came through late in a 4-2 victory. Sallies moves on to face top-seeded Conrad on Thursday night at Frawley Stadium.
The 13th-seeded Silver Eagles scratched out a run in the top of the fourth, and with the way their pitcher, William Hart, was dealing, it appeared that lone tally might be enough. But No. 5 Salesianum rebounded to tie the game in the fifth and scored three times in the bottom of the sixth. That was enough to get the victory.
Salesianum starting pitcher Jared Goldberg was outstanding, matching Hart inning for inning. He faced one batter over the minimum through three innings, and the first hit he allowed came with one out in the fourth, when Michael Deery singled down the left-field line. A walk moved him to second, and, after Goldberg got the second out on a fly ball, Daniel Brown singled to center, scoring Deery.
Hart worked out of trouble in the second and third, but he had retired six straight heading into the bottom of the fifth. Quinn Cassidy reached on a fielder’s choice, and after Hart got the second out on a fly ball, Cassidy came around on a double down the left field line off the bat of John Andreoli.
The middle of the Sals’ order struck in the next inning. Joe Setting legged out an infield single, and he scored when the next hitter, Zach Gwynn, crushed a double to center. Setting beat the throw home with a head-first slide. Alex Hinton walked, and he and Gwynn came around on a triple to dead center from Anthony Frechette. Frechette appeared to have scored on a sacrifice fly, but he was called out on appeal for leaving third base early.
That extra run loomed large in the seventh. After Jack Fiala retired the first batter, Ryan Campbell came in to finish the game. He walked the first two batters he faced, bringing the tying run to the plate. Hinton made a twisting catch on a popup in foul territory for the second out, but Ryan Fulmer singled for the Silver Eagles, plating Brown. Campbell, however, was able to get Cory Joines to fly out to left field to end the contest.
Goldberg allowed just two hits and struck out four in four innings. Fiala retired all seven batters he faced and earned the win, while Campbell picked up the save. Sallies (14-6) will face Conrad at Frawley Stadium at 8 p.m. The Red Wolves advanced with a 2-1 walkoff win over fourth-seeded Cape Henlopen on Wednesday.
In the other semifinal, No. 6 St. Mark’s will meet second-seeded Caravel, also at Frawley. The Spartans needed nine innings, but they got the 2-0 upset of the third seed, Appoquinimink. St. Mark’s and Caravel begin at 3 p.m. Thursday.
